When manufacturing commercial automotive vehicles, such as dumpers, it is presently customary to offer, together with a standardised forward vehicle section, a rear, load-carrying vehicle section, the length of which is adapted to the intended area of application and to any built-on accessories, such as a crane. This is resolved by manufacturing the rear vehicle section with a large number of frame lengths.
The above approach is not cost-effective, however, as production and storage will both be expensive due to the relatively small production series. Further, modifications to the vehicle length cannot be allowed after delivery.
However, there are cases where the fixed framework of the rear vehicle section is cut off, whereupon extension beams are welded in to obtain, in this way, a vehicle of the required length.
This, however, is a complicated and time-consuming operation, a/o requiring access to special tools and special equipment. Furthermore, such a solution may require giving the construction a lower strength at the joints, compared to the rest of the construction. Besides this, a subsequent treatment in the form of corrosion protection and painting has to be performed at the joints.
From SE 505 201 a vehicle chassis is previously known, intended for subsequent building-on of equipment, divided into a forward and a rear portion, each having two longitudinal frame members, connected to each other through an intermediate portion. Said intermediate portion comprises an intermediate framework and a number of holed junction members allowing free choice between a number of hole combinations for connecting the intermediate framework, by means of bolt or rivet joints, with the forward and rear portions of the vehicle chassis. An adjustment of the total length of the vehicle chassis can thus be made, in dependence of the selected size of the accessory subsequently to be fitted.
Although the method for extending vehicle frames described above enables an adaptation of the vehicle length, it still has some drawbacks. When modifying the vehicle length a large number of bolts, or rivets, will primarily have to be removed and, after the length adjustment, be refitted, which is very time-consuming. Furthermore, also in this case, there is a risk of the construction having a lower strength in relation to other framework portions.
Common to the above procedures for extension of automotive vehicles after delivery is that relatively large operations have to be performed on the framework of the vehicle, constituting a problem for the vehicle user.